Hair salon opens at Welland Campus

Associate dean School of Trades Jeff Murrell joins Hairstyling faculty Joe Abbruscato, Pat Spano, Debra Kay and students for the grand opening of the new hair salon at the Welland Campus on Sept. 27.

The prospect of ‘bad hair days’ may be numbered at the Welland Campus, now that a new hair salon has opened its doors in the Pavilion building.

On September 27, the salon opened in the newly transformed space, ready to take on clients from the College and the community. A gathering of students and faculty marked the grand opening of the new salon with tours, a celebratory cake and refreshments before its first clients arrived .

School of Trades associate dean Jeff Murrell noted that the new salon offers a “cutting edge” learning environment for Hairstyling students, while noting its relocation to Welland brings all the trades together under one roof at the Welland Campus.

Hairstyling Techniques and Apprenticeship coordinator Joe Abbruscato noted that he believes the opening at the larger Welland Campus will be a positive experience for students.

“Now that we are in Welland, the students will get the whole Niagara College experience. Along with that, our students will also gain a lot more experience on the enterprise side,” said Abbruscato. “With a built in clientele, students will get a chance to work on clients in our beautiful new labs.”

“The Niagara Falls Campus was great for students, but this new salon in Welland is so beautiful and professional that it will offer our clients a wonderful experience,” said Hairstyling Techniques student Heidi Frank. “This will be an amazing environment for us to learn in.”

Open to the public, all services at the hair salon are provided by students. Students are fully supervised by staff and faculty members who are also included in service consultations with clients. Services offered include haircuts, colour, highlights, perms and straightening, up-styling, blowouts and more (full service and price list attached).

The new 9,000-square-foot space in the Pavilion building has had a full makeover before being taken over by the Hairstyling program. Expanded from its former location in Niagara Falls, the new salon features two modern-salon style labs that share a hair washing area, a third lab where students practice on mannequins, and a collaborative learning area / lounge. A full line of hair products for both men and women are also available for sale in the salon’s retail area.

During fall term, clinics will run on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Appointments are required but walk-ins are also welcome.

Clients of the hair salon at NC also receive free parking permits to park on campus during their appointments. Contact the Teaching Hair Salon at 905-735-2211 extension 3620 to book an appointment or inquire about services.

Niagara College is home to a two-year Hairstyling diploma program as well as a Hairstylist Apprenticeship program (two to two-and-a-half years). Visit Niagaracollege.ca for details.